Medieval Feast at Chautauqua Lake Central School

May 22, 2014

Ninth and tenth graders in two global studies classes at Chautauqua Lake Central School traveled back in time to Medieval Europe for a festive celebration of life in that era, roughly between the years 500 and 1500. Each student joined a committee to contribute to the feast day. The decoration committee transformed the classroom to look like a castle. The play committee chose the subject of the Black Death to portray in a short skit for an audience of fellow students. The feast included meat, bread, cheese and apple juice. A "barter booth" allowed students to exchange one item for another. In between the activities, students played cards - many believe the king of hearts represents King Charlemagne - and chess, which was by this era diffused to Europe. The celebration brought to life many aspects of western European culture of the period and capped off a unit of study that included research projects and presentations on what it was like to live in a medieval city, knights and chivalry, religion, feudalism, and historical figures such as Marco Polo and King Charlemagne.